One Move for Savagely Sexy Legs

Have you seen Blake Lively's new movie Savages, yet? If so, you know the blonde bombshell is looking as hot as ever in the new thriller, stripping down to sundresses, bikinis, and sometimes even less! Although Blake is known for her long and lean figure -- especially those legs -- apparently, her regular exercise regimen lacks, well, exercise. Last month at a Savages screening in New York, she told reporters that she eats cupcakes and doesn't work out. If only it were that easy for the rest of us!

Credit: WWD/Steve Eichner

In all honesty, though, we know Lively is no stranger to total-body conditioning. For 2011’s Green Lantern, she worked with celebrity trainer Bobby Strom to strengthen, tone, and tighten up her already famous curves. (And I love this tip: In order to remember the circuit-training routines he taught her, Strom says, fitness newbie Lively liked to replace the moves’ technical names with funny descriptions like “flamingo,” “toucan,” and “rhinoceros.”)

“I started with Blake the way I start with a lot of women who don’t have a big background in conditioning exercise, by having her work with just her own body weight first: pushups against a bench, squats and lunges,” says Strom. “Once she got the hang of that, we added some resistance bands, then I’d throw a 5- or 8-pound dumbbell as her strength started to improve.”

Even though we can’t get Lively’s legs from eating cupcakes alone, we can steal a secret or two from Strom, who’s also trained celebrities like Jessica Biel, Kristen Bell, and Lively’s boyfriend, Ryan Reynolds. I asked him and his wife, Alicia (also a personal trainer, pictured below, who worked with Lively, as well), for the best move to help us get legs like Blake — no matter what fitness level we’re starting from.

Incorporate the following move into your regular workout, three to four times a week, for best results, says Strom.

Starting position: Begin by going into a deep squat with hands on waist to help you balance (below).

Step 2: Come up into an arm and leg abduction, standing on your left foot and elevating your right leg. Reach your right arm straight out to the side as you straighten your right leg and flex your foot, holding your leg as high as you can (below). Hold for five seconds while engaging your core.

Step 3: Bring your elevated leg down into a lunge, disengaging your core and keeping your left leg straight (below). You should feel your left leg adducting, or pulling toward the midline of your body. Return to beginning squat position, and repeat 12 to 15 times per side.